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British Midland Airways Limited facts for kids

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British Midland International
BMI logo.svg
Founded 1938 as Air Schools Limited
Ceased operations 27 October 2012 (integrated into British Airways)
Hubs London Heathrow Airport
Frequent-flyer program Diamond Club
Alliance Star Alliance
Subsidiaries
Fleet size 27
Destinations 35
Company slogan Better for Business (2009–2010)
Parent company
  • International Airlines Group
  • Lufthansa (until 20 April 2012)
Headquarters Donington Hall, Castle Donington, United Kingdom
Key people
  • Peter Simpson, MD
  • Vagn Sørensen, Chairman
  • Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO

British Midland Airways Limited, often called BMI, was an airline from the United Kingdom. Its main office was at Donington Hall in Castle Donington, near East Midlands Airport. BMI flew to many places in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia. Its main hub was London Heathrow Airport. At Heathrow, BMI had a lot of take-off and landing slots. This meant it could run over 2,000 flights every week.

BMI was once owned by a German airline called Lufthansa. In December 2011, Lufthansa decided to sell BMI. The buyer was International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns British Airways. This sale did not include BMI's smaller airlines, Bmibaby and BMI Regional. BMI Regional was later sold to another company in May 2012. In April 2012, it was announced that BMI would fully join British Airways by the end of October 2012.

BMI had a special licence from the Civil Aviation Authority. This licence allowed it to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on planes with 20 or more seats. Skytrax, a company that rates airlines, gave BMI a 3-star rating.

History of BMI

BMI started a long time ago, in 1938. It was first known as Air Schools Limited. Over the years, the airline grew and changed its name several times. It became British Midland Airways Limited, or BMI, which many people knew.

Where BMI Flew

BMI's main base was London Heathrow Airport. From there, it offered flights to many different countries. You could fly with BMI to places across Europe. It also had routes to countries in the Middle East and Africa. Some flights even went as far as Central Asia.

Joining British Airways

After being sold by Lufthansa, BMI began to merge with British Airways. This process happened in 2012. By October 2012, BMI was fully integrated into British Airways. This meant that BMI flights and operations became part of British Airways.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bmi para niños

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